Ternate, N Maluku (ANTARA) – The Representative Office of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) in North Maluku Province organized a coordination forum to expedite efforts to reduce stunting in disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas.The implementation of stunting reduction in the 3T areas must be right on target by focusing on prospective brides, pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and toddlers, Secretary of BKKBN-North Maluku OfficeAnsar Djainahu said on Saturday. “For instance, couples of reproductive age (PUS), who are about to get married, must be educated on preparing for medical examinations before marriage; thus they can prepare for healthy pregnancies and also give birth to healthy babies in the future,” he added. There are three aspects that must be improved to prevent stunting, namely children’s diet quality, parenting patterns, as well as sanitation and access to clean water, he said. ccording to Djainahu, lack of nutrition over the long term can cause chronic nutritional problems and disrupt children’s growth. Furthermore, he said that the handling of stunting in 3T areas, such as Sula Islands District, must be bolstered by strengthening collaboration among stakeholders. The prevalence of stunting in children aged under five in Sula Islands district reached 27.7 percent and 28.5 percent in 2021 and 2022, respectively, based on the Indonesian Nutritional Status Survey (SSGI). The data showed that the stunting rate in children under five in the region had increased by 0.8 percent. Hence, the BKKBN Representative Office in North Maluku Province held a coordination forum, which was joined by 20 participants from the Sula Islands District Health Office, Sula Islands District Religious Affairs Office, and other stakeholders. Regional Secretary of the Sula Islands DistrictMuhlis Soamole said President Joko Widodo’s directive to reduce the stunting rate to 14 percent by 2024 requires a strong commitment from all parties so that the rate can drop significantly, especially in the district. “It is regrettable that according to the SSGI data, the prevalence of stunting in Sula Islands District increased instead of declining, from 27.7 percent in 2021 to 28.5 percent in 2022,” he noted. Thus, he invited all parties to work harder and strive together as the frontline for reducing the stunting prevalence rate.

Source:Antara News Agency